Chapter Three #2
His eyes narrowed on her then flared wide, more gold than brown. Heat bloomed inside her and she hurriedly turned to her companion. She was not discomfited. She was simply remembering her manners.
‘Colonel—’
‘It’s been so good to see you, dear Annalena. But I must get on. Business to see to, you know.’
He rose and she stood too. ‘Of course. It’s been lovely. I’ll pass on your regards to my grandmother.’
He leaned in and kissed her cheeks, the brush of his moustache and the scent of butterscotch taking her straight back to childhood.
Then he was gone, leaving her with the brooding man who ruled this place.
Suddenly she felt very alone.
Annalena straightened her spine after picking an imaginary piece of fluff off her skirt. ‘Are you at least convinced now that I am who I say?’
‘There seems little doubt.’ He moved nearer, not as close as the colonel had been, yet she felt his presence as a physical weight pushing against her.
She couldn’t quite get her breath, her breasts straining against fabric that suddenly felt too tight.
He extended his arm and it took all her self-control not to flinch. ‘Your driver’s licence.’
‘Thank you.’ She took it, careful not to brush his fingers. ‘I assume you had it checked.’
‘Naturally. Proving your identity is the first necessary step.’ He gestured to her seat. ‘Won’t you sit?’
Annalena subsided onto the chair and watched him take the colonel’s seat. He looked completely composed and in control. She didn’t know what she’d anticipated but was annoyed at his equanimity. Especially since she felt anything but calm. ‘And the next step?’
He reached for a poppy-seed pastry, taking a large bite and chewing before answering. ‘Sorry, I didn’t have time for lunch.’
She folded her arms. ‘I know the feeling.’
His huff of laughter surprised her, sending a skittering sensation through her middle. His sombre eyes crinkled at the corners making him look…
Deliberately she turned towards the generous spread she’d been too keyed up to enjoy. A slice of chocolate gateau caught her eye. If ever there was a day for chocolate this was it. She helped herself, a welcome distraction from this man who so confused her.
She didn’t trust him, yet being with him made her feel energised and self-aware. The sharpness of her breathing. The cinch of fabric at her waist. The weight of her mother’s locket at her throat. The scrape of her nipples against her bra.
‘The next step?’ she asked as she slid a fork through dense chocolate and fluffy cake.
‘Proving your claim to the throne is false, of course.’
His absolute certainty surprised a laugh out of her. All the proof she’d given him and she hadn’t even created doubt in his mind. ‘Good luck with that.’
‘You find this amusing? You’re enjoying yourself?’
Now she heard it, not uncertainty but steely threat. He wasn’t as sanguine as he appeared.
Her grandmother had spoken in scathing terms about his father. Was the man before her just as callous? As ruthless? It was a chilling possibility. But nothing would happen to her under his roof. Too many people knew she was here.
Seeking distraction, Annalena popped a piece of cake into her mouth, focusing on the rich flavour and texture, rather than the scorching glare turned her way. She swallowed and licked her bottom lip.
‘If you think this is how I get my kicks you really are out of touch. No person in their right mind would do what I’ve done today for fun.
I didn’t want to come. I didn’t want to reveal the truth about my parents.
I’m happy with my life, thank you very much, and I’d rather get on with it.
’ She put down the delicious but barely touched cake, the fork rattling on the plate.
‘If you’d done the right thing in the first place, none of this would be necessary. ’
‘This? Your attempt at blackmail? You’re blaming me?’
Impossible man! ‘Blackmail implies I’m doing something wrong. But right and the law are on my side. The crown is mine by right. Building a dam that will destroy so much of Edelforst is wrong.’
‘Don’t be so simplistic.’ He shook his head and, in the first gesture she’d seen that revealed weakness or perhaps tiredness, he raked his fingers through his dark hair.
Infuriatingly it fell perfectly back into place.
‘You can’t see the bigger picture. Some land will be inundated but the owners will be compensated handsomely.
We’re seeking sustainable ways to create power.
This hydroelectric project will bring huge benefits. ’
‘You sound just like your father.’
His head jerked back, making her wonder what the relationship had been between the two men.
A muscle in his jaw worked. ‘You spoke to him about this?’
She snorted. ‘Chance would be a fine thing. We tried, my grandmother and I. Along with numerous delegations. But he refused to meet anyone. All the projections we sent him, all the scientific studies, the petitions and detailed analysis… All we got was a vague assurance that all input would be considered. Then the announcement that the dam would go ahead exactly as planned, for the public good .’
‘It can be hard to accept change but when there’s a clear public benefit—’
‘ Public benefit? Are you serious?’
Her skin felt too tight to hold in her outrage. It felt as though ants crawled across her flesh. She wanted to leap up and stride around the room, waving her arms and releasing some of her pent-up emotions.
Instead she took a deep breath and looked out at the manicured formal gardens, seeking calm.
‘You have read the documentation, haven’t you? You know most of the power generated and the profits will go to private companies beyond our borders?’
‘Only a percentage and only for a limited number of years. You can’t expect them to help fund such a big project without getting some return.’
Annalena turned and met his steady gaze. Even now, in the privacy of the palace, he refused to admit the truth. The disparity between the press release he quoted and the true plans was vast.
She dragged in a shuddering breath. He was as brazen as his father, not even a hint of concern that he was selling out his people so others could profit. So he could profit.
Her shoulders slumped and she sagged in her seat. He was persisting in the lie his father had created.
She’d hoped a frank discussion would make him see the dam was a monumental error that would do environmental, social and economic damage. But there was no reasoning with a man who didn’t see beyond the lining of his own pockets, for surely he’d get a cut of the profits.
Which meant her only hope was following through on her threat to wrest away the crown. She felt sick with dismay.
Annalena didn’t want to swap her career for a life hemmed in by pomp and ceremony, especially since King Karl had tainted that world.
She wasn’t cut out for a royal life and feared she’d be overwhelmed as well as unprepared.
Growing up with a title and a famous grandmother, she’d always been different to her peers.
It had taken longer to make friends and be accepted.
Some people still treated her differently.
How much more isolating would it be as Queen?
Despite her fighting words earlier, she’d hoped this could be resolved simply. He’d tell her he’d changed his mind about the dam and she’d return home.
She couldn’t give up without one last try.
‘If you agreed not to proceed with the dam, and put it in writing, I’d consider signing away my rights to the crown.’
What was under that ground there that she so wanted to protect? Gold? Rare elements?
According to the summary Benedikt had read, the land was barely productive agriculturally and of little real value.
But to offer such a bargain…
She must have powerful reasons. To concoct a lie about being the true queen wasn’t something to undertake lightly. And if by some million-to-one chance there was something in her claim, why agree to give it up for a dam?
He was missing something. Benedikt hated that feeling. He had a flair for business but most of his success came from hard work and attention to detail. He never allowed himself to be caught unprepared.
But Annalena of Edelforst had done just that. He felt as if she’d ripped the antique carpet out from beneath his feet and he’d suffered concussion from smashing his head on the floor.
In the hours since she’d flounced into the palace, he and Matthias had followed up her claim of royal lineage. He made a mental note to review the files for the dam project as soon as possible.
He’d only had time to read the summary report, because he was trying to get across so many things in a short time. His father had been selective about which royal matters he took on, keeping real power to himself, jealous even of his son who’d one day inherit. Now Benedikt paid the price for that.
‘Do we have a deal?’
She had to be kidding. There’d be no deal of any kind until he knew exactly what was going on and why.
‘I don’t do deals with people who try to blackmail me.’
He had the satisfaction of seeing her eyes widen in dismay. A softer man might almost feel sorry for her.
Except she was trying to manipulate him, something he abhorred. His father had revelled in making people dance to his tune, playing on their vulnerabilities.
Was that what Annalena had attempted with her big, doe eyes?
Making a production of eating that gateau as if it were a prelude to sex?
The way she’d taken her time biting into it then chewing, eyes flickering half closed as if in sensual delight, then licking away crumbs from her sweetly curved mouth.
Heat eddied in his belly, drawing tight and low, provoking anger at how easily she affected him.
‘My answer is no.’
She sat higher, fingers curling around the arms of her chair. Her mouth flattened, jaw tightening. And her eyes…they were slits of green fire, hot enough to scorch.
A childhood memory stirred. An old legend about the dragon that had haunted the high Alpine reaches of Prinzenberg. Not only could it breathe fire, but also turn to stone anyone foolish enough to meet its stare.
Benedikt breathed deeply, meeting that incendiary look.
His pulse quickened as adrenaline pumped hard and he welcomed it, welcomed the surge of response.
He told himself it was because, after months grappling with his father’s convoluted backroom deals and half-truths, he found honest dislike refreshing.
Bizarrely, her searing look was turning him to stone.
His lower body was weighted and hard. That sizzling gaze was like a hand stroking his skin, reminding him how long it had been since…
There was a rustle of silk as she rose. ‘In that case we’re finished here. I have an appointment with a constitutional lawyer tomorrow.’
Benedikt stood too, closer than he’d intended. Close enough to feel her heat and inhale her light floral scent. ‘Because you’re giving up your claim?’
Her fiery stare turned cool. ‘I didn’t come here to walk away empty-handed.’
Unfortunate but predictable.
‘Then you won’t walk away.’
Her gaze searched his and he had an uncanny sense of familiarity. But they’d never met before. He’d only seen her at a distance once in his youth.
‘Why are you looking at me like that?’
‘You don’t think you can drop that bombshell then stroll away?’ Benedikt shook his head. ‘Until the succession is clarified, you’ll stay here.’ His lips curved in a feral smile. ‘As my guest.’